December 22, 2012 | 11:48am ET

Red Wings forward Mikael Samuelsson feels the Players' majority vote to give the NHLPA's executive board the ability to file a disclaimer of interest was a necessary move, reports the Detroit Free Press.

Yesterday, it was revealed that 706 of the 728 NHL players (97 per cent), who took part in the NHLPA's vote, voted in favor of giving their board the power to disclaim interest.

The NHLPA now has until Jan. 2 to proceed, if they so choose.

"In my mind, I think that's what we're forced to do," Samuelsson told the Free Press. "If they don't want to talk, it's no way around it. We've got to do something, because we want to have a season."

Samuelsson feels the NHL has been "playing pretty dirty, I think, in my mind, the way they're negotiating."

"The thing is, too, I don't know how much the owners care about the game of hockey," Samuelsson added. "I don't know if I say too much here, now, but all the NHL owners who own a team, probably have other businesses, too. And the owners know we live and breathe hockey. So to us, it's devastating to not play, not only because of the money and this and that, but just to play the game, that's why we're here in the first place, because we like the game so much."